Tuesday, August 9, 2016

A Cup Of Tea With Victoria Hamilton Author of The Merry Muffin Series

Today I am so thrilled to have Victoria Hamilton with us today to share a cup of tea and talk about her Merry Muffin series.

KMOT: When you
are writing what sustains you coffee, tea or something else?

VH – "I’d
say vodka, but some might not know I’m joking. For me it’s a time of day thing.
Coffee in the morning. Tea in the afternoon if it’s a cold day. Tetley, please!
And water if it’s hot outside!"

KMOT: How long
was the writing process for Much Ado About Muffin?

VH – "I
can’t tell you specifically for that book… I don’t really keep track. But my
usual process is this: at some point long before I start writing a book, I
write a synopsis for my editor to approve. Then, when I’m ready to start
writing, I flesh it out, and begin. From that point on it takes, usually, 3 – 4
months. I will revisit twice more after my final draft; when I get a page edit
from a copy editor I can change things and add some, though I don’t like to add
a whole lot. Then, once it has been formatted, I get a typeset edit. At that
point I can only address typos, misspellings, and occasionally mistakes that
have been added in during the typeset phase."

KMOT: Where did
the inspiration for Hannah the town librarian come from?

VH – "Well,
actually, the inspiration was a wheelchair-bound reader on Facebook. The two
aren’t really similar in any way except for being wheelchair-bound and loving
books. I thought of how reading and libraries are great equalizers, in a way.
Books, via public libraries, are there for almost everyone. Hannah is
passionate about books, libraries, accessibility and reading. That’s why she
tutors folks like Zeke who have a tough time reading because of learning
barriers.

But this
touches on something that is really important to me. Life is filled with all
kinds of people, able bodied and disabled, all races, religions, gay and
straight, easy-going and troubled. Ifa
writer doesn’t populate their books with all kinds of people, they aren’t
reflecting real life. Hannah may be in a wheelchair, but she is just one
character in a cast of many, and that’s how I think it should be."

KMOT - I love
that muffins and the tea pots are mentioned in this book, what is your
favorite type of muffin and do you have a favorite style of tea pot?

VH – "Favorite muffin… what is this ‘favorite’ of which you speak? Hmm. Well, I do
love the Fit For The King muffins I made for Muffin But Murder (Book 2 of the
Merry Muffin Mysteries). They are banana and peanut butter (a favorite combo of
Elvis Presley’s aka the King) with chocolate chips. How can you beat that
combination? As for teapots, I do have a favorite among mine that I bought in a
shop in a town where I went to a tearoom for lunch. It is a red transferware,
and I just love the shape of it. My aim is to find a couple
of different colors of transferware teacups and saucers."

KMOT: Autumn
Vale is such a picturesque setting, is Wynter castle based on any particular
castle and is Autumn Vale based on any actual town you have been to?

VH – "For
some reason, the idea of inheriting a castle just popped into my head, fully
formed. But when I went researching New York State castles, I was inspired by
Beardslee Castle. It is an awesome venue that they use for weddings and fine
dining. It’s so Gothic looking I love it! But as for Autumn Vale, no, it isn’t
based on any town in particular. I think it probably owes its existence to an
idea in my head of a village in the middle of nowhere that is a kind of caught
in a mist, where nothing really seems
to happen… and yet it does. There are undercurrents from the beginning, of
things that have been going on, and yet they have never bubbled to the surface
until Merry takes possession of her inheritance."

Thank you Victoria, it has been a pleasure having you stop by for tea today. To learn more about Victoria Hamilton's Merry Muffin Series and all of her writing please visit her website by clicking here.

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a visit with author Victoria Hamilton today. As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com